need helo doing tune up on 300e
 

Hi, I have a 1987 300e that needs a tune up. I have all the stuff I need and I am also going to replace the top timing cover gasket as well. I have the DIY article for this process but I cant seem to be able to remove the distributor cap. In the DIY article for the timing gasket replacement it shows pictures of the engine with a bent metal pipe that contains coolant. This pipe goes outward so that it is easier to remove the bottom screw. On my car, the pipe is straight and blocks access to the bottom screw of the distributor cap. I tried to remove the pipe from the left side of the cap and coolant started to gush out and I couldnt remove it. Does anyone know how to remove this pipe or to get to the bottom bolt easily? keep in mind that putting the bolt back in with the pipe still there in the way will be a lot harder than removing it, which is already hard. heres a link to the DIY article

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/M103TimingCoverReseal



thanks

That's the bottom bolt for the upper timing cover, not the distributor cap.

You will need to remove the coolant pipe in order to get to the bolt. Drain the coolant from the radiator and the block to prevent too much coolant spillage. There should be two bolts, one in the middle that bolts to one of the timing covers or brackets, and one on the water pump. Loosen the first, remove the second, then the pipe should come out by pulling towards the passenger side.

Oh, and take the rubber coolant hose off the passenger side of the pipe before removing.

You should get a replacement rubber o-ring for where the coolant pipe interfaces with the water pump. If your other hoses are old, this would be a good opportunity to put in new hoses and hose clamps.

Anthony

I've went thrugh that job 2 week-ends ago following the procedure described in the link.
To remove the distributor cap, you'll need to remove the bottom bolt and the only way to do it is with the special tool mentionned in the procedure.
There are 3 bolts holding the distributor cap.
The rest is a piece of cake.

Even with the special tool described in the link, it doesnt seem possible to remove the bolt without removing that pipe. That tool is pretty hard to find and I'd have to buy it as part of an entire set which I don't need. I'm pretty sure that the bolt being blocked by the pipe is to the distributor cap. If I can get the pipe out it would be a piece of cake getting the bolt out with a regular 5mm allen wrench. I need to know how to remove the pipe connection on the drivers side. I tried to pull it out towards the passengers side but it would only budge about 1 cm.

I wonder if you have the original water pump on your car. On mine, I have the updated pump with a new drain pipe, and I can get the bottom distributor cap bolt off with a 5mm allen and some finger contortioning. If you look at this pic:

http://www.peachparts.com/diy/m103timecover/bbolt.jpg

the bolt is set just high enough that you should be able to get the allen in and unscrew it about 10-20 degrees at a time, before resetting the wrench.

You'll still have to remove the drain pipe to get at the lower front cover bolts, so it doesn't really much matter. BUT, your pipe looks a lot different than mine. This is what mine looks like:

http://img.eautopartscatalog.com/live/G307044634MEY.JPG

On the right (driver's) side of the pipe, there is a small bracket with a hole for the screw that secures the pipe into the water pump. Yours doesn't seem to have that, although I think I can make out the hole in the pump that it would ordinarily bolt into.

Anthony

I guess I'll just drain the radiator and try to yank it out. It doesnt seem like there are any bolts holding it in. After I do this, should I get a new pipe like the one you have? Also, when replacing the front top timing cover seal, is it necessary to also replace the camshaft seal?

You should drain the block too if you can, otherwise there will still be enough coolant left in the water pump to drain all over the floor (ask me how I know).

A new pipe might not be a bad idea, don't forget to get the bolt and o-ring too.

You will need a new camshaft seal if you do the front cover. The old one may be difficult to remove, be careful not to score the cover.